A stolen industrial device containing radioactive material has been recovered in Mexico, more than two weeks after it went missing.
In late February, Mexican authorities issued an alert for six states in central Mexico following the theft of a pickup truck that was carrying the radioactive equipment.
The truck and its potentially dangerous cargo have been found and secured, Mexico’s National Coordinator for Civil Protection Luis Felipe Puente said via Twitter.
The truck was stolen in Queretaro State and recovered in neighboring Mexico State, Puente said. The serial number on the device confirmed that it was the missing equipment.
The device uses radioactive material to beam gamma radiation that can be used to test pipelines for structural problems such as weakening welds. The radioactive material inside the device is Iridium-192. The material can be deadly if removed from its protective shielding.